Maybe, but the realignment there seems to suggest they'll stick around at least a few more years.

As for MSP, I don't know if the exact size they are today will be the exact size they are in a few years, but I really doubt they're going away. Not even close IMO.

 

There has been a lot of mainline growth as msp in the last two Years, where as dtw is not the size it once was. The biggest surprise is growing the 737 cvg fleet last time around. I think msp is safe

 

Did they rip out Msp gates in the contract airline alley? B Gates?

 

No. B gates are alive and well...and a half mile from most everything else

 

They may be marginalized but I think management still wants to keep a seat on the MEC for those guys. Especially now that Atlanta looks to be a lost cause for the old guard.

I think it really shocked them to see a write-in candidate defeat the establishment guys in ATL. That was a real game changer. The semi-permanent ALPA insiders club had always depended on LEC elections where very few people really had any idea which candidate represented which political faction. Pilots were basically voting in the blind or strictly on name recognition. (if they voted at all.)
Social media has changed everything.

There's a huge election next month for MEC Master Chairman. In the past, line pilots were never even made aware of who was running or what they wanted to accomplish. I hope we'll finally see some transparency this time around. I hope that election will be held "in the open" so we can provide some input to our reps. So far its not looking good. The campaigns have been underway for quite awhile now but nobody has said publicly they are a candidate. So much for grass roots unionism and bottom up democracy.

 

Seems to be a trend in elections these days.

 

If you look at the numbers, the national election this time was due to 5 million fewer people showing up to the booth.

 

Yes, they took out the odd B gates to make more room in the alley. They've been testing putting 900s down on the A gates in prep for wanting to expand the A concourse.

 

At the last base visit by the Crew Planning guys, they responded to questions about MSP's size by stating that FAR 117 made MSP a "more flexible" base than those in the Eastern or Pacific time zones. MSP pilots can fly to either coast without chewing through too much FDP, so they have the ability to continue North/South (or back) once there.

I heard Richard Anderson state that DTW is the "most optimized" international airport in the US. Eastern time zone, but outside NY Center's airspace. Good runways, and a great terminal for connections.

 

Fudge looks like my sources were correct.
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincitie...p-in-2017.html